Octothorpe

John is horrified, Alison is spelunking, and Liz is detecting. An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to [email protected], join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: Letters of comment Ali Baker Brooks Andrew Hogg 4D Golf Braid Archipelacon 2 Caroline Mullan Chris Garcia Some accusations against Ekpeki have been disproved Farah Mendlesohn Ivan Sinha Jonny Baddeley June Young Aurora Australis Alerts Aurora Now AuroraWatch UK SpaceWeatherLive MonkeyKing Roseanna Pendlebury Shia Lia Tommy Ferguson Reconnect Upcoming conventions Eastercon 2026: Iridescence at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Bid chaired by Phil Dyson Eastercon 2027: Glasgow Bid chaired by Alan Fleming and David Bamford Eastercon 2028: Gateshead? Novacon 2025 Conrunner 2026 To be chaired by Esther MacCallum-Stewart in February WisCONline 2025 Edmonton 2030 Picks John: Mothership Mothership Month Alison: Caves of Qud Liz: Rise of the Golden Idol (Sorry that they’re all games, Mark) Credits Cover art: “Ohmudillo” by Sophie van Setten Alt text: The Glasgow 2024 logo drawn in pencils and crayon, but across the middle there is a segmented creature with eight eyes and mandibles. At the top, the words “Octothorpe 124” appear in blue. Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John is going to Seattle, Alison is going to the Åland Islands, and Liz is going to Belfast. An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to [email protected], join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: Money, grim darkness Belfast Eastercon Seattle 2025 Archipelacon 2 Back to Our Futures The Dark Room Liz’s Adrian Tchaikovsky scoop Edmonton Worldcon bid Picks John: Wrath and Glory Alison: Timestalker Liz: The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett Goodie from Goodreads Credits Cover art: “Fully Caffeinated” by Alison Scott Alt text: A coffee stain on a piece of paper on which are written the words “Octothorpe 123” and “fully caffineated”. Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John is on the periphery, Alison is carving, and Liz went to Japan. An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to [email protected], join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: con artistry, privilege, racism Letters of comment Jake Casella Brookins Sankey diagrams on the Ancillary Review of Books Ali Baker Brooks I’m a Fan of That Christopher J Garcia Emily January Kat Kourbeti SH@25 is a new, year-long interview and feature series that will delve into the archives, celebrate the work of past contributors and staff, and highlight the contributions of Strange Horizons to SFF publishing and the wider community. Caroline Mullan Zoe O’Connell Roman Orszanski Booking flights on a phone Awards World Fantasy Awards The Kitschies Ursula K LeGuin award Strange Horizons review in two parts: one, two Oghenochovwe Donald Ekpeki Erin Cairns has reported that Ekpeki stole a story and passed it off as his own On Bluesky On Google Drive File 770 report Cairns tried to sound this alarm on X in June Reactions Gautam Bhatia L D Lewis (requires Bluesky login) Ekpeki’s response Jason Sanford talks about his reaction to the news: one, two Picks John: Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Alison: Bridge Command Alison was given free tickets by the venue’s PR team Liz: Japan Neat effects like Tokyo Disneyland’s Pepper’s ghost or Shiriki Utundu Liz was not given free tickets but if anyone wants to give me free tickets to Disney parks please get in touch Credits Cover art: “Octothorpe, Octothorpe, Octothorpe” by Alison Scott Alt text: A pumpkin carved with an image of Beetlejuice, with the words “Episode 122” at the top of the image and “Octothorpe, Octothorpe, Octothorpe” at the bottom. Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

John, Alison and Liz read Grass by Sheri S Tepper. An uncorrected transcript of this episode is available here. Please email your letters of comment to [email protected], join our Facebook group, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on X or on Mastodon or on Bluesky) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: Rape, consensual interspecies sex, murder, classism, plague/disease Adam Roberts’ review of Grass Credits Cover art: “Three Little Hippae” by Alison Scott Alt text: Three hippae stand on a landscape of alien grass and plants in blue, purple, red, teal, and orange underneath a pinkish sky. The words “Octothorpe 121” appear at the top and the words “Grass Sheri S Tepper” appear at the bottom. Theme music: “Fanfare for Space” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)